Pipe-wrench



J. H. HALL.

PIPE WRENCH. APPucATLoN-,fILED'MAR. 6. 1920.

Patented Oct; l12, 1920.

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,4 TTOR/VE YS l. H. HALL.

PIPVE WRENCH. APPLICATION FILED MAII. 6. 1920.

Patented ot.12,1920.

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Afro/mers UNITED srrsrEs JAMES H. HALL, 0F RUPERT, IDAHO.

` :PDE-WRENCH.

' specification of Leiters Patent.

Patented Oct. 12, 1920.

Application inea march s, 1920; sei-iai No. 363,882.

To aZZ whom t may concern:

Be it known that I, JAMES H. HALL, a

citizen of the United States, and a resident of Rupert, in the county of Mini'doka and State of Idaho, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Pipe-lllrenches, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is an improvement in pipe wrenches, and has for its object to provide a wrench of the character specii'ied especially adapted for grasping cylindrical objects, wherein handle members are pivotally connected and provided with gripping heads, the heads being normally spring pressed away from each other, and the wrench having releasable means for preventing movement ozt' the heads away from each other, one of the heads having a movable gripping jaw so mounted with respect to the head that when it moves in one direction with respect to the head it is moved inwardly and is moved outwardly when it moves in the other direction with respect to the head.

In the drawings:

Figure 1 is a side view of the improved wrench;

Fig..2 is a longitudinal section in a horizontal plane;

Fig. 3 is a transverse section through the fixed aw;

Fig. 4 is a top plan view of the relatively movable jaw; f

Fig. 5 is a top plan view of the relatively fixed jaw;

Fig. 6 is a plan view of the dog;

Fig. 7 is a view similar to Fig. 2 with the jaws open;

Fig. 8 is a section on the line 88 of Fig. 7. j

In the present embodiment of the invention a casing 1 is provided, of channel shape, as indicated in Figs. 1 and 2, and this casing carries at one end a head 2, which holds the relatively fixed jaw of the wrench. A second channel shaped casing 3 is pivoted to the casing 1 at the end remote from the jaws, as indicated at L1. The casing 3 is ot' a size to fit outside the casing 1 and the casings are arranged with their channels adjacent, and the casing 3 carries a head 3a at the end adjacent to the head 2 and this head carries a relatively movable jaw.

A plate spring 5 is arranged within the channels of the casings, the said spring being secured at one end to the casing 1,5 as

indicated at 6, and bearing at Athe other end against the bottom or body of the casing 3, as clearly shown in Fig. 2, and this spring acts normally to force the heads 2 and 3n away from each other.

VA ratchet bar 7 is secured within the cas- K ing 1, adjacent to the head, the teeth of the ratchet bar extending approximately transverse to the direction of the length of the casings, and it will be noticed that the teeth of the ratchet bar areformed on an arc Whose center is the pivotal connection between the casings.

A' dog is provided for coperating with the ratchet bar, the said-.dog consisting of portions 8 and 9 extending at approximately a right angle with respect to each other, and

` the dog is pivoted to the head 3"" at 10, at

the junction oithe arms, the portion 8 of the dog extending transversely of the axes of the casings while the portion 9 is substantially parallel therewith, and this portion 9 is outside of the casing 3 and the head 8a.

A plate spring 11 is secured to the body of the casing 3 at one end and bears at its other end against the end of the portion 9 of the dog, and acts normally to hold the teeth of the portion 8 of the dog in contact with the teeth of the ratchet bar. It will be noticed that this portion 8 has several teeth cooperating with the ratchet teeth. The end of the portion 9 of the dog adjacent to the' spring serves as a ngerpiece for releasing the dog. NVhen this portion of the dog is pressed inwardly the teeth of the dog will be disengaged from the ratchet bar, and the spring 5 will press the heads 2 and 3a away from each other, opening the jaws of the wrench.

A gripping jaw 12 is secured within the head 2, the said head having a channel adjacent to the head 3a in which the jaw 12 is received. It will be noticed, referring to Fig. 3, that the head 2 has a longitudinally extending channel 13 on its inner face, and that the jaw l2 has a rib 14 fitting within the channel. Rivets or pins 15 are passed through registering openings in the rib and in the head Jor securing the jaw to the head.

A relatively movable jaw, indicated at 16, is mounted in the head 3a. This jaw, as shown more particularly in Figs. 2 and 4:, has two series of ball bearings 17 extending longitudinally o1 the outer face thereof, and engaofing the body of the head 3a. The

. position of F ig. 2.

jaw has Van inclined slot 18 near its inner end and near Vits outer face, and a screw 19,A

passes through the head vandthrough the slot, the screwlimiting the movement `of the jaw with respect to the head. i

L A coil spring 20 is arranged'withinVV the slot, bearing at its inner end against the jaw and at its outerend against the screw, Vand the-spring acts normally to press the movable j Vatv-inwardly and to hold it in the ecause ofthe inclined engaging surfaces of .the jaw 16 Vand the head 3)a it will be evident that when the jaw teeth, as Vshown Vin Fig. V2, the teeth fitting Y 16 moves outwardly away from the handle portion of the wrench, it willbe moved in- Vwardly, while when lit moves toward the handle portion of the wrench the jaw will move outwardly. The gripping jaws have one series within the other. Y

In operation, when it isV desired to turn something, the dog 8 is disengaged from the yratchet Yteeth by pressing on the portion 9 thereof.V The spring now forces the heads away from each other'and the object may be gripped. By gripping the'handle Vportion the jaws are forced together on the object, and the ydog 8 prevents release. The wrench isV now manipulated inthe usualmanner to screw'or unscrew the object and the movable jaws having a slight movement with respect comprising a pair of handle members piv? oted together at one end and having cooperating heads at the other, a spring engaging the handle members and normally pressing the heads away from each other,

- Vhandle releasable means for preventingV movementV of the heads away from each other, the head Vof one member being channel shaped on its inner face and a movable jaw mounted in the channel to move longitudinally of the members, and normally spring pressed inwardlyV toward vthe handle members, said jaw. and the head having cooperating inclined engaging surfaces to constrain the jaw "to, move inwardly when it moves away from the handle members,

Vand Vballfbearings between said engaging surfaces. i

" 21A' wrench of the character specified i Vcomprising a pair of handle members piv-V oted` together at one end and having cooperating heads at vthe other, a spring en'- gaging the handle members andnormaliy pressing the heads away from each other, releasable means' for preventingy movement of the heads away from each other, the head of one member being channel shaped on its innerface and a movable jaw mounted in the channel to move longitudinally of the handle members and normally spring pressed inwardly toward the handle `1nembers, 'said jaw Vand theV head having co'y operating inclined engaging surfaces to constrain the jaw to move inwardly when it moves away from the handle members.

3. A wrench'of thel character specified comprising Va pair of handle members piv oted together at one end and having cooperating heads at the other, a spring engaging the'handle members and normally pressing the heads away from each other,

' and releasable means for preventing movement of the heads away from each other, said means consisting of a ratchet bar secured to one member, a dog pvoted to the otherA member and having teeth for engaging the bar and having a finger-piece for operating the dog. Y Y

JAMES H. HALL. 

